Nancy s summer diary june
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The Visitor: Monica's Diary, Saturday June 24 free porn video
Monica's Diary
Saturday, June 24
It's 10:00 pm and I am writing this entry by the bathroom light of room
307 in Baptist St. Anthony Hospital. I never imagined I would be here when
I woke up this morning.
Nathan had wanted to visit Timothy all along. When he brought it up, I
assumed that he and Pastor would go again. I thought I would stay home
with the children and tend to our Saturday chores. I had even suggested
that Nathan might want to invite another man from the congregation as a
way of introducing more people to the challenge we might be facing. I say
might be because even though the prayer meeting went well on Wednesday
night--all of the men present participated and seemed to me at least to be
earnest in their entreaties for wisdom in this matter--it would only take
one no vote to end the outreach to Timothy. Nathan was, however, quite
adamant about me and the kids coming along, so in the spirit of "whither
thou goest I will go." I got us dressed, packed, and loaded for another
trip to the Potter County Detention Center.
We followed our previous schedule of arriving about 10:30 with the
expectation of seeing Timothy again at 3:00. We were horrified to find out
that he had been transported by ambulance to the hospital two days ago. It
took us a little while to find out where they had taken him because there
is more than one BSA (as they call it) in Amarillo.
Once we found the right location, we then had to confront a hospital
administrator that wasn?t any too keen on letting us see Timothy. We
weren?t family. He was in the custody of the Potter County Sheriff?s
Office. And he was under the authority of Texas Family and Protective
Services.
?Tell you what,? Nathan said, turning to the rest of us standing behind
him at the information desk, ?let?s go sit down over there in the waiting
area.? We all trooped dutifully to the chairs arranged to catch the
sunlight coming through the big glass wall. The area looked for all the
world like a boarding/arrival gate at an airport.
?We?re going to pray now, right?? Elizabeth asked.
?Right,? Nathan said. ?We don?t have to pray out loud. Just ask God to
give us the wisdom as to how to proceed. We want to see Timothy, but maybe
God doesn?t want us to. If He does, He?ll give us the wisdom to surmount
the obstacles before us.?
While we were silently praying, people came and went. I heard the sound of
someone slumping into one of the chairs behind me, the tones of a cell
phone being punched, and then a male voice. ?Mom, Daniel. I got to see
Tommy.... No, not too bad. Not as bad as it could have been. The car was
almost stopped when he hit it with his cycle.... Well, he?s got a broken
kneecap and a broken toe, but he told me to tell you he was wearing his
helmet.... He doesn?t seem to be.... The nurse said about a week or so.
They want to see if any infection sets in before they put a cast on. Oh,
there?s Vanessa; I?ll take her to his room and call you back.?
A few seconds later we all seemed to look up at one another at the same
time. ?Does his mother know?? I asked Nathan.
?I don?t know. Why don?t you ask the lady at the front desk.?
So, I got up and went to the woman Nathan had been speaking to earlier.
She wore a wedding ring, and there were two little pictures by her
computer, of a boy and a girl. ?Excuse me,? I said. She turned from her
computer screen and got that look in her eye that my children see when
they have asked for something one time too many. ?I?m with the family that
is inquiring about Timothy.? She nodded. ?I don?t mean to make your day
any harder than it already is, and I know you have to follow the rules,
and I know those rules were put in place to protect Timothy...?
?But?? she interrupted.
?Does his mom know?? In a blink her eyes flicked to her pictures and back
to me. ?I?m sure the sheriff notified Family and Protective Services, but
since FPS has intervened and removed Timothy from his family, do we know
that his mother knows that he is here?? It probably took her only a second
to process what I had said and the feelings those words aroused. I pressed
forward. ?Cynthia lives all the way down in Austin. She may not be able to
come see her son, but she has a mother?s right to know. Doesn?t she?? She
nodded.
?Yes, of course, you?re right.? She began searching her screen, tapping
the keyboard, and looking again. ?Unfortunately, I don?t have that
information. I just don?t know.?
?We would call her,? I said, ?but we?re about the only family in the
country without a cell phone. Not only that,? I looked around the
hospital?s entryway, ?there aren?t any pay phones like there used to be.?
?Do you have her number??
?Yes, right here.? I set my purse on her counter and dug through
everything until I located it. I gave it to her and she entered it into
her phone. ?And could I maybe say something to her after you give her the
news?calm her down a little??
She glanced up at me, her eyes wary. ?You think she?ll need it??
?Wouldn?t you?? I asked. I could see her nerving herself as she placed the
call.
?Yes, this is Alethea Santizo of Baptist St. Anthony Hospital calling for
Cynthia Harp.... Yes, ma?am, do you have a child?.... This is for purposes
of identification.... What is your child?s full name?....What is your
child?s date of birth?....What color is your child?s hair?....I am calling
to inform you that your son was brought into our ER Thursday afternoon
with severe head trauma and a dislocated shoulder and was admitted to the
hospital the same day....I am sorry I do not have that information....Yes
he came from the Potter County Detention Center....Ma?am, Ma?am, I am
sorry but it is the responsibility of those requesting transport to the
hospital to notify next-of-kin....I am calling you now because a friend of
yours went to the detention center to visit your son and was directed to
us. She suggested that perhaps you had not been notified.? Alethea looked
up at me. ?Your name??
?Monica,? I answered, ?Monica Henson.?
She repeated this into the phone and then with evident relief handed it to
me. ?Keep it short and,? here she gave a quick glance around her station
and saw that everyone else was busy, ?if she were to send us an email with
a photo ID attached, she could grant you permission to visit her son.? I
nodded, mouthing ?thank you? and took the phone. I noticed her scribbling
the address on a scratch pad.
?Cynthia?? I asked.
?Monica what happened!? Cynthia almost screamed.
?I don?t know. We just found out ourselves today when we came to visit,
but listen to me. I have to be quick. The administrator tells me that if
you send an email giving me and Nathan permission, and attach a picture of
your driver?s license, we can go in and see him.?
?Okay, where do I send it?? I slowly spelled the address out to her. ?And
what?s his phone number?? I looked to Alethea.
?Phone number to his room?? She took the scratch pad back, found the
number on her computer screen, and wrote it down.
?You should know he can only receive calls. You cannot make them from that
room.? I nodded and gave the information to Cynthia.
?Okay,? said Cynthia. ?I?ll hang up and send the permission. I?ll call his
room in 30 minutes. Okay??
?Great,? I said and handed the phone back to Alethea who ended the call.
?Tell you what,? Alethea said, ?just have a seat with your family and I?ll
let you know when I get the email.?
?Thank you,? I said. ?This means so much, and you have been...gracious.?
She looked up at me then with an understanding in her eyes that I was not
expecting. She glanced about quickly again and then she smiled.
®Que Dios te bendiga.®
®Y que te bendiga tambi?n, hermana,® I replied.
It wasn?t five minutes and Alethea waved us over. During that time, I
continued praying. I don?t know what all is involved in attaching photos
to emails, but I remembered that Cynthia was fumbles with technology.
Evidently God was merciful. Nathan and I were now ?on the list? as they
say. Five minutes later and we were in room 307. On the way up in the
elevator we had planned to divide up?one of us with the kids in the
waiting area and one of us in the room with Timothy. Then we would switch.
However, when we got to the third floor we encountered no one and no signs
to stop us from all going in.
?Don?t they usually have police outside the rooms of prisoners?? Mark
asked. Nathan and I looked at each other with a shrug and pushed the door
open. One look at Timothy and we could see why there was no need to keep
him under guard.
?Look at the face on that guy,? Josiah said in what almost sounded like
awe.
?Oh, mama!? Elizabeth squealed and took my arm. Sarah grabbed for Nathan
and clung to him. I could see tears flowing down the cheeks of Hannah, but
just barely, because hers weren?t the only ones.
?Looks like a pumpkin,? Mark observed.
He did indeed. Timothy?s auburn hair was still wooly and its color no
doubt contributed to the pumpkin image, but the size of his face did
nothing to detract from it. His blackened eyes were mere slits. His nose
was completely bandaged. His lips were monstrous and the rest of his
swollen face purple, black, and blue.
There were IVs in both of his arms, a tube up his nose, and one down his
throat. A catheter bag hung off one side at the foot of his bed, and at
least three machines were connected to sensors taped or fastened to him in
various places.
?Careful, guys,? Nathan said as we gradually surrounded his bed, ?don?t
knock anything over or pull anything out.?
?Finally, some visitors!? We immediately turned around to see a young
blond woman in multi-colored scrubs who had apparently followed us into
Timothy?s room.
?We just found out,? I said.
?Family?? She asked.
?Friends of the family,? Nathan replied, ?but we?re on the list.?
?Oh good,? she said, her eyes sparkling. ?I?d hate to have to try and
remove you all. I don?t have enough pockets.? Josiah laughed, and the rest
of the children smiled.
?I?m Nurse MacDonald. Call me Allie.?
?We?re the Henson?s,? Nathan said.
?What happened?? I asked.
?You know he came from the jail, right?? We nodded.
?We were just over there to visit him,? Nathan said.
?Yeah, well evidently, he said the wrong thing to somebody, or looked at
?em wrong, or was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and didn?t
move fast enough.?
?How bad?? I asked.
?Dislocated shoulder for one thing,? Allie said. ?It?s God?s mercy he was
unconscious when they brought him in. It would have been a horrible pain
for a kid to endure when we popped it back into place. He?s got a
fractured wrist. You can see the swelling. He?s got a broken nose and
probably swallowed a tooth or two. He?s missing three. The bad news is
that whoever did this really stomped his head. The surface cuts we?ve
already stitched up, but he suffered a bad concussion and he seems to be
going in and out of coma. The good news is that his brain doesn?t seem to
be swelling?mercy again?or we?d have to open his skull to relieve the
pressure. No fun that.?
?I didn?t know you could go in and out of a coma,? Nathan said.
?It?s not a good sign,? Allie said.
?Can he speak? Is he aware of his surroundings?? I asked.
?Sometimes he opens his eyes. He looks really, really scared and then he
calls out, sometimes screams.?
At this point Elizabeth was hanging on one of my arms and Hannah on the
other?three sets of tears going at once. Josiah raised his hand. Allie
looked at him curiously.
?What?s he say?? Josiah asked.
?Mommy, Daddy, somebody named Gary or Garrett or something, and God,?
Allie said evenly. Then she looked up at the rest of us. ?How close to him
are you??
?The boys found him in the creek after he?d tried to run away from the
boys? ranch,? Nathan answered. ?Monica and the girls took care of him
until I got home and notified the authorities. We?ve been visiting him on
weekends ever since.?
?Regular little good Samaritans, huh?? She smiled. The children smiled
back. She had a way with them. ?Well, I?d love to stay and chat with you,
but can you believe it; they don?t pay me unless I do stuff.? She opened a
compartment at the foot of the bed and withdrew what looked like an iPad.
Then she went from machine to machine hooked up to Timothy and entered
their readings into it. She checked the levels on the IVs and the catheter
bag. She stopped at the door on the way out. ?Talk to him; read to him;
sing to him; hold his hands. He?s on the verge of losing contact with the
world around him and just giving up. If he does that he dies. Think of
yourselves as his lifeline.?
?Right,? Nathan said, ?no pressure.? Allie smiled and left.
Before we could do more than turn around and look at Timothy, the phone
rang. ?That must be Cynthia,? I said.
?Probably best if you break all this to her,? Nathan said, so I picked up
the phone.
?How is he?? And to her sobs, I recounted everything the nurse had told
us.
?If you want,? I said, ?I can hold the phone up to his ear and you can
speak. Since he has been calling for you, it might help.? She agreed, so I
put the phone on the pillow and held it close to the least bruised ear.
Remarkably, the hysteria in her voice instantly subsided, replaced with
the soothing tones of a mother trying to comfort her child.
The two boys had wandered over to the window to see what they could see
from the third floor. The girls had seated themselves on the little sofa.
Nathan had just moved a chair over to the bedside for me to sit down on
while I was holding the phone up to Timothy?s ear. Suddenly the phone went
dead. I held it to my ear but heard nothing.
?Hang it up and then check for a dial tone,? Nathan said.
?I?ve got one,? I said.
?Hit operator and see what happens.?
?Okay.? I did.
?Operator.?
?Yes,? I said. ?The line went dead. Did something go wrong??
?Let me check.? A few seconds later passed. ?No, apparently, the caller
ended the connection. I would offer to connect you, but outbound service
is not authorized for that room.?
?I understand. Thank you,? I said and hung up. I turned to Nathan. ?She
just hung up.?
?It is Saturday,? Nathan said. ?Maybe her husband was home and overheard.
If he?s written Timothy off the way it sounds like he has, he may have
been responsible for cutting her off.?
?So, can we talk to him now?? Josiah asked.
?What? Oh, yeah, sure,? Nathan said. ?Everybody, gather round and, if you
can find a spot that?s not bruised or wired, put a hand on him so he?ll
know we?re here.?
?Hey, Stinky, it?s me, Josiah!?
?Josiah!? I admonished.
?That?s what I call him. He knows that.? He turned from me back to
Timothy. ?Anyways, I found me this horn toad...?
And that?s how we spent the afternoon. Josiah told him all about the baby
horned toad that he had found on a rock somewhere. Then Mark told him
about the balsa wood glider that he is putting together with a view
towards making the toad its ?pilot.? This of course sparked fears of a
fiery crash and an early death for the ?baby toad? in the tender heart of
Sarah, so she told Timothy of how she was making ?Toady,? as she called
him, a tiny parachute out of some doll rags so he could escape if things
went south on the glider. Elizabeth stepped in to reassure Timothy that
the boys had done all this before with other ?Toadies,? and it mostly
resulted in the ?pilot? falling out of the plane and escaping and evading
into the Texas panhandle. That?s when Hannah noted that as the 4th of July
was getting close, Mark?s glider might end up being rocket-powered; the
plane might not hold together; and Toady just might need that parachute
after all, especially if the rocket took his plane way up in the sky.
In the middle of the story telling and the laughter, Nathan motioned me to
come over to the window with him.
?I don?t want to leave him by himself tonight,? Nathan said. I nodded,
feeling the same way. ?If you spent the night, we could pick you up either
before or after church.?
?Since all we?re worried about is one ?no? vote, my absence won?t make a
difference. And he has been so isolated for so long, I think he needs
somebody with him.?
In short order Nathan dashed out to buy the necessary toiletries I would
need to make it overnight. He brought our cooler in. We had lunch and I
kept the leftovers for supper (and breakfast and lunch tomorrow).
After my people left, I spent the afternoon and evening sitting in a chair
by Timothy's bed talking. I told him about how Nathan and I had met, our
courtship, and our wedding. I told him about our marriage and about our
children one by one. From time to time various nurses and aides and
technicians would come by to check what they had to and adjust what was
needed. They told me that I could run a piece of ice over his lips and
forehead. He had a fever, and this might give him some comfort. They also
warned me that he might cry out after it got dark, but not to worry as
that was bringing him closer to consciousness. Of course, they said that
if he did actually wake up for any length of time, I should hit the call
button immediately.
Turns out they were right about the after-dark part. I had spent all
afternoon and into the night talking to Timothy but got no response. After
writing all of the above, I laid down about 11:00 pm. It was sometime
after midnight, maybe closer to 1:00 am that I woke up to his screaming.
It was just as Allie had described it. He called for his mother and
father, for Garrett and for God. But there was also something she had not
mentioned. He kept screaming that it was so very, very dark and he was so
hot and so thirsty.
I don?t mind saying it took a few moments for me to get my wits about me,
but I turned on the wall light at the head of his bed as soon as I was
able. I then fished some pieces of ice out of the bucket on his serving
table and tried to lay them on his lips, but he kept twisting and
screaming, so I knew that was no good. I retrieved a wash cloth from the
bathroom and dipped it into the slurry in that same bucket and squeezed
ice water onto his face. Almost instantly he relaxed. I squeezed more
water and then began dabbing his face.
?Timothy, it?s okay. You?re not alone. Someone?s here. I won?t turn the
light off. I?ll keep you cool. You?re going to be alright.?
Suddenly he reached up and grabbed my arm. He held it tighter than I would
have imagined possible for a boy in his condition. ?Don?t leave me! Don?t
leave me!? He didn?t scream or shout these words, but their desperate
intensity frightened me.
?I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.? I don?t know why I quoted
that, but again he relaxed. About a minute passed.
?You again,? he said, ?always with your water.? He sounded normal.
?I?m just your consecrated cross-eyed bear,? I said, smiling at him.
?What??
?Oh, sorry, it?s an allusion to an old hymn. You won?t get it for 10 or 20
years, if ever.? I pressed the call button.
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